If your home is feeling a bit dark and gloomy, a few simple changes can brighten your space. By inviting more natural light into your living space, you’ll create a lighter atmosphere and warm the interior. Furthermore, sunlight increases the serotonin in our brains, making us feel happier. Not only is natural light more aesthetically pleasing in a home, but it can also help improve your mental well-being. So, whether you are preparing to sell your home or you simply want to brighten it up, here are some easy ways to increase the natural light in your home.

1. Paint Your Walls a Light Color

Though dark colors can make a room feel cozy, they can also make your home feel small and cramped. Painting your walls a light color can help reflect light, making the space feel brighter and more open. Look for paint colors with a light reflectance value of 70 or higher. You can find this information on the back of the paint chip card. The higher the number, the more the paint color reflects light. Your best bet are neutral, warm colors like whites, beiges, pale blues and grays.

2. Use Mirrors to Reflect Light

Mirrors are a great trick for reflecting light. The reflective surface of a mirror will help to bounce light around the room, making it feel brighter and more open. Try hanging a mirror on the wall opposite your window. That will help to reflect the light and can make a dark and dreary room feel much lighter and airier.

3. Choose Doors with Glass

It can be quite expensive to upgrade your windows but upgrading your door is a more affordable option. Choose a door that contains glass inserts in order to bring more light into your home. There is a wide variety of front doors with glass inserts or side windows that can help illuminate a dark entryway.

4. Reconsider Window Treatments

Window treatments can add a nice decorative touch to your windows, but they can also block the natural light from coming in. Sun shades are a nice alternative to curtains because they are made of a reflective material that helps repel heat and strong sun while still letting in some light. If you must use window treatments, choose ones that are light in color or sheer so they still let in some light. Depending on the location of the windows in your home, you may be able to skip window treatments all together.